CH 42.1

Chapter 42.1

Fourth Floor (20)

Translated by boilpoil

Edited by boilpoil

With This, I Am Forfeit

Doctor was right. Stargaol had no interest in him.

Lin Yi thought so when he received the approval for his holiday application.

The complete lockdown Stargaol had quickly vanished after Black Glove’s death——They seemed certain everything was over.

Lin Yi does not feel much warmth from the sunlight he’s enjoying after so long without it. The cold, damp feeling of Stargaol still permeates the air around him, ready to drag him back to that world.

Groups of tall skyscrapers tear the ground and sky apart. Streets divided into blocks, sitting at different heights, fill every corner.

While one would be walking on wide, spacious streets, but the spaciousness all belongs to humans, who have occupied every space they can——From the ground, to the sky, from the depths of oceans to the top of the stratosphere.

If not for the continual setbacks besetting near-space colonisation, the immediate solar neighbourhood would probably see far more human activity, too.

The universe is too big and dangerous, however——At least, for humans; that is why plans to colonise additional planets have been postponed again and again. Always an empty promise.

Lin Yi is currently in a commercial area, filled with stores selling all sorts of tools of a myriad of functions. There is more traffic here than elsewhere.

The taste of freedom, doesn’t really taste as good as hoped.

After another pedestrian purposefully swerved away from him, Lin Yi is forced to confront reality——The mark of Stargaol is etched into him, causing him to desynchronise from the wider world.

He pushes the rim of his cap lower, to glance behind himself utilising a nearby storefront. He’s been loitering around for an hour by now, and he notes nobody following behind still.

That is no excuse for sloppy work. He quietly, patiently continues the ritual for some additional hours, until it is certain he is in safety.

The area is quite big, but Lin Yi can feel that he is standing out from the crowd. Specifically, on the crowded streets, he is the only one enjoying social distancing. The crowd has avoided him altogether——In other words, he is unable to blend in and hide his trail.

Lin Yi is quite frustrated at this.

“Enough. How many more times are you going to make the rounds?”

When Lin Yi walks past an old general store, a hand suddenly pulls him in from the half-shut door.

While the storefront is quite dilapidated, the inside is… even worse than imagined. Anyone seeing this will rightfully question – how is this store even still in business right now?

Lin Yi avoids a cobweb, and carefully nudges the chair with three legs, before looking around, and deciding it is best to remain in place. He is now in a staring contest with the person that dragged him.

“I watched. You’re not followed.” The owner turns to close the door——Of course, being in this state, that door is as good as closed already.

“Why the sudden visit?” Old Lee returns to the counter, and pours a cup of tea for Lin Yi from an old teapot. The somewhat murky-coloured tea make slight ripples as it fills up.

Old Lee is Lin Yi’s direct correspondent——However, Lin Yi has never been here before. Circumstances with being a double agent, you see. It is risky for him to be in touch any more than necessary.

Often, the two of them keep in touch via layers of indirect contacts.

Since this will no longer be necessary anymore, Lin Yi came here in person for the first time——Seriously, this store is much ricketier than he thought.

“To hand in the mission.”

Old Lee is an unremarkable middle-aged man. The kind that disappears right into a crowd.

He puts the teapot aside, and pushes the cup towards Lin Yi, surprised, “I thought the mission already failed?”

“It should have been.” Lin Yi says, staring at the cup of murky tea for a few seconds, “there were unexpected developments. The goal was achieved.”

“Have some tea, then.” Old Lee also pours himself a cup and drinks it in one gulp, before asking, “unexpected developments?”

He glances towards the door, “Black Glove may be dead, but Nianluo’s Captain is still well and alive. Nianluo is still kicking. It is careless for you to come to me directly.”

He lowers his voice, “why didn’t you get the usual contacts?”

“Because of unexpected developments.” Lin Yi repeats himself patiently.

Old Lee furrows his brows, asking, “what developments could have made you take such a big risk? Don’t you know how many people want their hands on Redcloud right now? It’d be a massive pain in the arse to clean up the traces after your sudden visit…”

“I…” Lin Yi pauses for a couple of seconds.

Old Lee, confused, looks closely at him.

There is a breeze. The old and shabby door creaks quite loudly. It is distracting.

“I might not be able to continue my work.” Lin Yi speaks quite gingerly.

Old Lee is shocked, “what?! What happened? Were you coerced? Did you betray the Organisation?” He stretches his neck towards the door, “are there more men outside?”

Really, they’re both spies. Does he really need to make it so dramatic…

Lin Yi wonders if this is how Doctor usually feels watching him.

“Nothing much happened.” Lin Yi puts his hand into his pocket.

The creaking is getting louder.

He retrieves a pen, and raises his chin at Old Lee.

Old Lee gets him a piece of a paper. Lin Yi writes while explaining, “someone simply gave me this in exchange for my life.”

Old Lee realises what he is writing, and sits back on the chair, this time genuinely concerned, “Xü Zheng, your life is more important than this info. You didn’t need to force yourself to complete the mission.”

“You know how we work. So what if you failed? We remember everything you have done for the Organisation…”

Lin Yi answers, interrupting, “I know. I did not make this choice because I didn’t want to die.”

Old Lee looks surprised once more. When he speaks up, though, it’s a complaint, “what’s wrong with this damned door? How is it even swaying back and forth?”

Lin Yi glances at the door. The rickety structure is shaking in the incessant wind. It doesn’t look like stopping any time soon.

He says lightheartedly, “the door is fine. It’s just the wind.”

“I’ll go fix it, be back in a sec.” Old Lee leaves the counter, stopping at the door, working on the dusty old door, “you just said it wasn’t because of your life? Then…”

Lin Yi finishes writing. He lightly chuckles at the info that countless blood have been spilled over, and puts the pen on the paper as a stopper.

“Because, I met someone.”